This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s fall editorial intern Valerie Dawn. Find them on Instagram at @valeriejardine15. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
The best part of being a writer is seeing your writing develop into a beautiful project. The worst is getting writer’s block. Unfortunately, it can be challenging to figure out how to escape writer’s block once it sets in. During my undergrad years, I picked up a handful of ways to help inspire you to keep writing, along with some from various spots on the internet. Here’s a good list of how to escape writer’s block when it’s blocking you.
Random Generators
This one can be fun to try as a way of getting out of your head. As a writer, it can be frustrating having to stop working on the project you have, but for the sake of inspiration, sometimes working on something else can help guide you correctly. I love doing any sort of random generator to find inspiration. There are a few ways you can use this option.
The first one may seem obvious but using a random prompt generator is a great way to figure out how to escape writer’s block. Give yourself 5-10 prompts to choose from and craft a story, narrative, or poem using the prompt you pick.
Another way to use random generators for inspiration is by using a random noun generator. I like to pick out random words that I vibe with. Usually, I give myself around 20 words to use. I then try to craft a poem or story using all of the words I chose. I like this method a little better because you can still shape the story how you want, as opposed to a prompt telling you what to write, and it challenges you to use up all of the words. It’s a great way to stimulate creativity.
Nature Walk
This one may also seem like an obvious option to, but I think adding the challenge of writing about what you see around you can help also. I like to write down descriptions of the nature or people around me to then use in a story or poem later. Maybe the kid playing in the stream can be a character, or the scenery descriptions can be used in a scene in your story. You may find your writing during this exercise not worth using, but in the end, you will still have written something down. Writing in any sense is better than not writing at all.
Daily Poem
This is a writing exercise one of my professors gave us in college. He challenged us to write a haiku every day, about anything. A haiku is a poetry form that is three lines long. The first and last lines have 5 syllables, while the middle line has 7 syllables. This is another way to draw inspiration. Maybe the poems you come up with can give you ideas on where to take your story or give you ideas on the characteristics of your characters. Here are some examples of little haiku I have written for this exercise:
| Smooth saxophone sounds Soothe my soul like jazzy big Bands know how to | The rusted door hinge To my soul breaks and falls in To your touch alone |
| Bouncy wavy curls Tucked into braves hat, going Somewhere not fast enough | Coffee feeling fall Melancholy vibes bringing Pumpkin spice daydreams |
I like to take creative liberties with the last line, so sometimes I will use an extra syllable or two for the poem’s sake. Another way to increase the challenge is to change the haiku to a tanka. Tankas are my favorite form of poetry. They are just a haiku with two extra lines of 7 syllables after the 5-syllable line. Here are some tanka examples:
| Faded grey skies loom Overhead, the perfect type Of energy i Am sad, anxious, empty, this Feeling is just an old friend | Turning umbrellas Inside out, beating down harsh Rains onto soft cheeks Turned red, whipping hair like cream Slowly fading to soft breeze |
Shuffle Your Music
This one is a fun writing project also. I like to listen to songs that have significant meaning to me. One’s that tug at the heartstrings or bring up past emotions. Find some lyrics that stand out to you and write around that. Currently, I am enjoying the song “28” by Zach Bryan. He says, “took 28 years to feel loved on my own birthday”. I think this line could be a great prompt to write around. It could be a poem about loneliness, a story about your character learning to find love around them or an experience where they didn’t feel loved on their birthday. Music can be so inspirational for other artists. Let it inspire you as well.
Eavesdrop on Conversations
This sounds controversial, but when it comes to learning how to escape writer’s block, sometimes you can find inspiration from those around you. This was another writing exercise we did in college, and it was so entertaining. Most people will talk about anything, and not necessarily at a volume appropriate for the topic. One time, I overheard a lady in a cafe talking about how she keeps a revolver unlocked and loaded in her closet. I then used that conversation to write one of my best poems from undergrad. It was something I never would have thought of alone, but her conversation inspired me to write.
Go To The Gym
This feels like a cop-out answer, but I find solace and a mental reset at the gym. Sometimes you need inspiration by doing something not related to writing at all. If your mind is tired, give it a break and work on your body. Even just walking on the treadmill helps me clear my mind. Plus, people-watching at the gym is so fun sometimes. You may even find character inspiration based on the people around you.
There you have it! A handful of ways of how to escape writer’s block. Do you have a different method? Let us know about it in the comments, and if any of these were helpful for you!
Leave a Reply